It looks like Derek Stepan will not be returning to Wisconsin after all. Just a few months after being named Captain of the Badgers, it is being reported that the Rangers and Stepan are closing in on a deal that will make Stepan a pro, thus leaving the University of Wisconsin. In a recent interview, General Manager Glen Sather noted that they are going to try very hard to sign Stepan before the season started, and it at least appears that this will get done relatively soon.
What this means for Stepan’s teammate, and highly touted prospect Ryan McDonagh, we don’t know. It is safe to assume that Stepan turning pro will leave the Badgers hard pressed to repeat their success next year. With Sather’s determination to get both Badgers signed, McDonagh may follow suit sooner rather than later.
Update 4:30pm: As per Larry Brooks, Derek Stepan has officially signed with the Rangers. The deal is an entry-level deal, three years at $875,000 base salary. Stepan’s bonuses will also count against his cap hit, so the $875,000 is not his complete cap hit. Expect Stepan to play a full season in the AHL, unless he makes a great impression at camp.
Update 4:45pm: Stepan probably won’t make the Rangers outright, and is too young to play in the AHL, so expect him to play in Canadian juniors (reportedly the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL) for a year. It’s a little bit odd that the Rangers pushed to sign him since he won’t be playing in the AHL. I guess they are thinking he can make the team, which I personally don’t feel he can. But hey, what do I know? Wow I was wrong. Stepan can play in the AHL, as the minimum age is 20, and that only applies to those who were drafted out of Juniors, which Stepan wasn’t.
It’s a big statement to make about a kid guy that still hasn’t played a pro game at any level. So what is it about Derek Stepan that offers the Rangers such hope and excitement?
Drafted 51st overall in 2008, the Hastings born Stepan has played in strong programs throughout his young career and has produced wherever he has been. Playing two years at the hockey factory that is Shattuck-St. Mary’s (think Sid Crosby, Zach Parise, Jon Toews etc) Stepan tallied 192 points in two years before going to the NCAA powerhouse Wisconsin Badgers. In 2 Wisconsin seasons thus far Stepan continued to elevate his game. A solid rookie year – 33 points in 40 games – was followed up with an impressive 54 point season (in just 41 games) which culminated in a Frozen Four Final berth. Stepan quickly became a go-to player for the Badgers. What perhaps excites Rangers fans more however, is how Stepan raised his game even further on the international stage. Stepan took over the 2010 World Juniors and led the Americans to gold as captain and led the entire tourney in points with 14 in just 7 games. Voted on to the all star team at the tournament , Stepan keeps elite company when one considers the line up featured Alex Pietrangelo, John Carlson, Jordan Eberle and Nino Niederreiter – all elite prospects. Stepan also has blood lines on his side. Derek’s father Brad was a 5th round pick of the Rangers which was the same draft year (‘85) as Mike Richter.
Looking back at Stepan’s development so far it’s easy to get excited. Whether it’s at prep level, NCAA level or at international level Derek Stepan has succeeded. Considered mature and a good character and having already displayed excellent leadership at various levels, Stepan seems bound for a good pro career. Opportunity (and success) requires being in the right place at the right time and coupled with his talent is the fact the Rangers are crying out for impact at center. As soon as Stepan decides the time is right to leave college he will likely get a shot at making the Rangers straight away and will be given every chance to succeed.
Rangers fans therefore may be thinking: So where will Stepan fit in? Considered close to pro-ready now, it’s likely that in 12 months time Stepan will be able to make the Rangers and hopefully take on a scoring role immediately. It will benefit the Rangers enormously (cap wise) if Stepan can grab a top 6 role when he leaves Wisconsin. With contracts like Redden’s and Drury’s still weighing heavy, cap bargains and cheap youngsters are essential for the Rangers.
Stepan’s game seems ideally suited to Marian Gaborik in that he is a pass first, defensively responsible center with great vision however the role of Gaborik’s center may be a year or two away as the Rangers would be well advised not to throw too much responsibility on Stepan’s shoulders too soon. Could he handle it? Why not. Jonathan Toews’ career took a similar path before he reached Chicago and he became an impact player from the get-go. The two players are quite comparable (another reason the Rangers faithful are so excited about Stepan) and if the Rangers can get a rookie year off Stepan like Chicago got off Toews then The Rangers will be delighted – and dangerous. While a strong rookie year is possible what would be likely? There’s no reason we won’t, can’t see a 15 goal 40 point rookie campaign when he does make the Rangers. As we have seen, Stepan doesn’t appear to rush a decision so he won’t come to NY until he’s ready to make an immediate impact.
For those watching Stepan’s every move, you may be watching a saviour in the making.
Yesterday, Puck Prospectus released it’s Top 100 prospects, and it is nice to see four Rangers on this list, all within the Top 80. The five Rangers within the top 80 shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as these are generally the top five prospects that we all want to see wearing Rangers blue in the very, very near future. What is very nice to see is that three of these prospects sit in the top 35, something that Rangers fans are not used to.
The highest rated prospect starts at #23, where Evgeny Grachev sits comfortably. Despite his off year in Hartford, the 19 year old LW has some of the highest potential in the Rangers farm system. What many Ranger fans forget is that Artem Anisimov had a rough start to his AHL career, but he came back and averaged a point per game the year after. AA is now one of our favorite rookies with some great potential. It isn’t far fetched to see Grachev follow that same route, assuming he figures out how to play without the puck.
Just two spots below Grachev, Wisconsin center Derek Stepan sits at #25. Stepan was one of the highly touted prospects in the system before the World Juniors. After captaining the US team to Gold while leading the tournament in scoring, his value skyrocketed. Stepan has all the tools to be a top six forward. The 20 year old center will be spending at least one more year at Wisconsin, where his Badgers were the Frozen Four runners-up in this year’s tournament. Stepan will also serve as an assistant captain next season for the Badgers.
Read more after the jump
It looks like Rangers prospects Derek Stepan (C) and Ryan McDonagh (D) will return to the Wisconsin Badgers for next season. Stepan, 20, is not a surprise to be returning to Wisconsin, as he would have been too young to play in the AHL next year (the minimum age to play in the AHL is 21). McDonagh, on the other hand, is 21 years old and would have been eligible to play in the AHL. The defenseman will serve as the sole captain of the Badgers team, with Stepan serving as an assistant captain.
It is good to see that both Stepan and McDonagh will be playing in leadership roles next season. Both are two of the higher rated prospects in the system, and having them grow in leadership roles together can only be a good thing. There is no need to rush these guys. It would have been nice to see McDonagh play in Hartford though. Both of these guys should be ready to move to the professional ranks at the end of next season.
Three of the Rangers top prospects are in action tonight in the NCAA Frozen Four; Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh of the University of Wisconsin, and Chris Kreider of Boston College. Stepan, the Rangers second round pick in 2008, is Wisconsin’s leading scorer this season. Stepan, as many of you remember, was also the World Junior’s leading scorer, as he captained Team USA to gold. Stepan and McDonagh, acquired in the Scott Gomez trade and a solid bruising defenseman, will take on RIT today at 5pm on ESPN2.
Kreider, also a member of the gold medal winning Team USA, and the tournament’s leading goal scorer, will suit up as BC takes on last year’s runner up Miami of Ohio. Kreider struggled to start the season, but after returning from juniors he has really been on a tear. He has 16 points, including 12 goals, in the 12 games since the tournament. Kreider’s BC squad faces off against Miami at 8:30, also on ESPN2.
The winning teams will place for the National Championship on Saturday night at 7pm on ESPN.
Team USA ended Team Canada’s five-year championship run at the World Junior Championships last night, beating les Canadians 6-5 in an overtime thriller. Captain, and Rangers second-round pick in 2008, Derek Stepan contributed a goal and an assist in the third period, and was a part of the three-on-one rush that generated the OT winner. Stepan also led the tournament in scoring, putting up a line of 4-10-14 in just 7 GP. Chris Kreider, the Rangers first-round pick in 2009, scored the first goal of the game for Team USA in the first, and had a team lead . Ryan Bourque (3rd, 2009) contributed an assist in the first period while playing a sound defensive game.
It was the first time a Rangers prospect led the tournament in scoring since Doug Weight in 1991. The future looks bright for the Rangers, Stepan and Kreider look like the real deal.
Team USA, sporting Rangers prospects Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Ryan Bourque, advanced to the World Junior Championship Semi-Finals, routing Finland 6-2. Stepan contributed two assists and Kreider a goal in the victory. Team USA will face off against Sweden in the semi-finals. Stepan, captain of Team USA, leads all scorers in the tournament.
Team USA lost its first game at the World Junior Championships last night, falling to Canada 5-4 in a shootout. Rangers prospects Derek Stepan (one assist) and Chris Kreider showed tremendous skill and skating ability during the game. I have been very high on Stepan since the Rangers drafted him, but Kreider is the one that is starting to turn heads. His skill set is there, and now he is putting it together against some tough competition.
Kreider and Ryan Bourque was held off the score sheet during the loss.
Roman Horak, playing for the Czech U20 team, contributed an assist in the Czech Republic’s 5-2 loss last night, eliminating them from the competition.
The USA U20 World Junior Team, sporting Rangers prospects Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, and Ryan Bourque, absolutely dominated Latvia last night, winning 12-1. The three Rangers prospects combined for eight points in the rout. Stepan, captain of Team USA, chipped in two goals and two assists, Kreider had a hat trick, and Bourque added an assist.
It is great to see that Stepan is not only dominating play, but the team captain as well. This pick may very well be one of the greatest steals of the 2008 draft. Who else came from the 2008 draft? Michael Del Zotto. I say management did a good job thus far with that draft.
When the Rangers selected Kreider, it was met with mixed reaction. There was no denying the skill, but Kreider hadn’t played with tough competition at that point. Now, with Kreider scoring at the World Junior level, some of those doubters (including myself) have been silenced for now.
The U20 Team USA increased their record to 2-0 last night, beating the Swiss 3-0. Two Ranger prospects again impressed during the victory, as Chris Kreider netted the eventual game winner, with Derek Stepan picking up an assist on the goal. Ryan Bourque picked up his first point of the tournament, an assist, on the second goal of the game.
The Rangers have a fourth prospect participating in the tournament. Roman Horak (2009, 5th round), playing for the Czech Republic, netted his first goal of the tournament in a 4-3 loss to Finland. The Czech team is 0-2 thus far.
Rumors, Signings | Dave, 9 Jun 10 | 
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